Lacing machine



L. ROSEN LACING MACHINE Oct. 27, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 19,1962 FIG.

INVENTOR LEO ROSEN A ATTORNEY Oct. 27, 1964 L. ROSEN 3,154,334

LACING MACHINE Filed June 19, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR LE 0 ROSENATTORN'EY Oct. 27, 1964 L. ROSEN 3,154,334

LACING MACHINE Filed June 19, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet s FIG. 4b

INVENTOR FiG.5c FIG.5b LEO ROSEN ATTORNEY Oct. 27, 1964 L. ROSEN 3, 5,334

LACING MACHINE Filed June 19, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR LEO ROSENATTO NEY United States Patent 3,154,334 LACENG lviAC Leo Eosen, 9414 St.Andrews Way, Silver Spring, Md. Filed June 19, 1962, Ser. No. 203,651 7Claims. (Cl. 2S9l8) This invention is in lacing machines, and moreparticularly is intended as an apparatus for lacing or securing togetherinto a tight bundle or cable a number of electric wires by means of acontinuous cord. This sort of cabling is common in electronic andelectrical construction. customarily, it consists of tying a knot abouta bundle of wires, extending one end of the cord a desired distancealong the bundle, tying a second knot, and so on to approximately theends of the wires; and ordinarily the procedure is accomplished by hand,and requires considerable dexterity and strength.

While my invention will be described particularly in connection withcabling, as mentioned, its applicability to other arts, as sail making,lawn furniture manufacture of certain kinds, etc., will become apparent.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a machine for lacingor tying together two or more objects.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means for tyingtogether by means of a continuous cord two or more elongated objectsinto a single elongated package or bundle.

Additional objects of the invention will become apparent from a readingof the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a novel needle used in my machine.

FIGURES 2a and 2b, 3a and 3b, 4a and 4b, 5a and 5b, and 6a and 6b areside and front views (in pairs) of the principal elements of my lacingmachine in successive stages of operation.

FIGURE 7 illustrates one form of knot which may be tied during operationof my machine.

In the description to follow, manual adjustment of the parts and manualoperation thereof will be assumed. It is within the spirit of theinvention, however, to provide suitable supports for the parts, and tosupply power from a desired source, with levers, cams, and the like, todirect and control the necessary motions.

Considering now the drawings in detail, and especially FIGURE 1, it) isa gapped circular needle, hollow substantially throughout its length,except as hereinafter mentioned, the needle being shown in section.Drive rollers 11, 12, 13, and 14, supported in any convenient manner,hold and guide the needle, and, it should be understood, may befurnished with power (no source being shown) to rotate the needle aswill be hereinafter explained.

One end of the needle, 16, preferably is pointed, and the shape of theother end, 17, is essentially immaterial.

Interiorly of the needle adjacent end 16 thereof is arranged a bobbin2%) which serves as a source of supply for the cord or twine 21 which isemployed in lacing and tying. lust counterclockwise of bobbin 2%, andarranged to slide within needle it), is a feed device 22 of known typeembodying jaws for gripping cord 21 with a prearranged degree oftightness, that is, to provide a predetermined amount of drag; thisaction will be further explained.

Also within needle 19, extending from device 22 to a terminal closure23, is a helical spring 26. This spring may be preloaded or not ascircumstances indicate. Closure 23 is shown as threaded into the needle,at 27, and is provided with an opening 28 through which cord 21 may movefreely.

3,154,334 Patented Oct. 27, 1964 The construction produces an action ormode of operation as follows: with the parts in approximately therelations as shown in FIGURE 1, cord 21 may be pulled from end 17 ofneedle 19, through orifice 23 in closure 23, and will, at first, pullfeed device or clutch 22 along with it, thereby compressing spring 26between the clutch and closure 23; a point will be reached, however, atwhich the pressure of spring 26 will counterbalance the drag inherent inclutch 22, and at this point clutch 22 will become stationary, and thecord, if pulled, will be pulled therethrough; at any point, after spring2-6 has been compressed, release of cord 21 will permit the spring toforce clutch 22 back to its initial position, with an amount of cordequal to the motion of device 22 being withdrawn into the neefle.

In FIGURES 2a through 612 may be seen a fragment of a base structure 5%with a hook 51 extending from the top thereof under which extends abundle of wires 52 in the process of being laced or tied together. Justbelow the top of the base may be seen two further extending books 53 and5d, and these are to be understood to be rotatable about theirindividual longitudinal axes.

Cord 21 may be seen to be extending from a knot 60 into needle it)through closure 23 (first passing beneath hook 51), and should beassumed to be threaded through the needle and attached to bobbin 26) asshown in FIG- URE 1.

If, under the conditions of FIGURES 2a and 2b, the needle is caused tomake one clockwise rotation about its virtual axis A, cord 21 will belooped about books or fingers 53 and 54, and the various parts will befound to be in the conditions and relations shown in FIG- URES 3a and3b.

Following this first rotation, needle it) is moved to the right in itsown plane, so that its imaginary axis reaches point B, and itsinclination is changed from that shown in FIGURES 2a and 3a to thatshown in FIG- URE 4a, and caused to make a second clockwise rotation,passing beneath cord 21, between fingers 53 and 54, to the right ofcable 52, and over the cord in the area between the cable and finger 54.Spring 26, inside the needle, has been compressed during the operationsdescribed.

When the needle returns to its initial angular position (see FIGURES 6aand 6b), fingers or hooks 53 and 54 are rotated toward each other (seeespecially FIGURE 6b), cord 21 slips from them, and, under the urging ofspring 25, a knot 6b is pulled tight about cable 52, hooks 53 and 54 arereturned to their inital positions, needle 16 is shifted back to axis A,and the operator moves the cable to the next desired knot position.Obviously, this last step, aso, may be mechanized.

The lacing or tying operation has been described as a sequence ofseparate steps, but it is possible for some of the steps to overlap eachother, nor is it necessary to stop the needle after its first rotation.

Furthermore, certain variations are possible; for example, additionalstrength may be provided by repeating the wrapping operation (FIGURES 2and 3) before proceeding to tie (FIGURES 4a through 6b).

The knot formed by the mechanism operated as described is shown inFIGURE 7. It will be seen to be self-locking in nature, that is, oncedrawn tight, it will not release if the cord is accidently severed.

The foregoing description is in specific terms, and many modificationswill suggest themselves. For the true scope of the invention, therefore,reference should be had to the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described including a substantiallycircular needle, a cord feeding mechanism carried thereby, means forturning said needle through one rotational path to form a loop of saidcord, said further means turning said needle through another rotationalpath for completing a knot of said cord.

2; Adevice according to claim 1, further characterized by spring meanscarried by said needle having a normal relatively untensioned condition,tensioned responsive to operation of said cord feeding mechanism and tothe rotation of said needle and operative thereafter to cause said cordfeeding mechanism to pull tight a completed knot.

3. A device of the character described comprising a substantiallycircular needle and means for turning the same in a plurality ofrotational paths, a cord supply, a spring, means for feeding cord fromsaid supply during rotation of said needle, means for tensioning saidspring as said cord is fed, a support, means mounted adjacent saidsupport for holding an article to be wrapped, means mounted adjacentsaid holding means for retaining a loop of cord during a wrappingoperation and subsequently for releasing the same.

4. A device of the character described comprising a substantiallycircular hollow needle having an initial plane and an initial axis ofrotation and including a cord supply, a spring, and a feeding device forholding cord from said supply, for releasing said cord responsive topredetermined tension thereon, and for compressing said spring as cordis pulled from said supply, a support, means mounted adjacent saidsupport for holding an article to be wrapped, other means mountedadjacent said holding means for holding a cord and means for turningsaid needle through substantially one rotation thereby to wrap cordpulled from said supply in a loop about said other means and the articleto be wrapped, said needle being tiltable from its initial plane forshifting its axis of rotation, said turning means turning the samethrough substantially another rotation to directly wrap the cord overone portion of said loop and under another portion thereof to form aknot, said other means being turnable to release said cord therefrom.

5. A device of the character described comprising a substantiallycircular needle, a cord supply, means for turning said needle through afirst rotational path to cast a loop of cord from said supply about anarticle to be wrapped, said turning means turning said needle through asecond rotational path to feed cord from said supply over one portion ofsaid loop and under another portion thereof to form a knot, and springmeans for pulling said knot tight.

6. A device of the character described comprising a substantiallycircular hollow needle having an initial plane and an initial axis ofrotation and including a cord supply, a spring having an initialcondition and a feeding device mounted for movement within said needleand operable to hold cord from said supply, to compress said spring assaid cord is pulled from said needle, and to release said cord inresponse to predetermined tension thereon, a support, means for holdingan article to be wrapped and tied adjacent said support, two fingerseach having a cord holding position and a cord releasing position, meansfor turning said needle through substantially one revolution to wrapcord pulled from said supply about said fingers and an article to bewrapped, said fingers being in their said cord holding positions, saidneedle being tiltable from its initial plane and shifting its axis ofrotation and said turning means turning the same through substantially asecond revolution to feed cord from said supply under the cord stretchedbetween said two fingers during the first revolution of said needle andover the cord stretched between the article and one of sa d fingersduring the first revolution of said needle, said cord holder fingersbeing turnable to release said cord from said fingers.

7. A device of the character described comprising a substantiallycircular hollow needle having an initial plane and an initial axis ofrotation and including a cord supply, a spring and a feeding devicemounted for movement within said needle and operable to hold cord fromsaid supply, to compress said spring as said cord is pulled from saidsupply, and to release said cord in response to predetermined tensionthereon, a support, means for holding an article to be wrapped and tiedadjacent said support, two fingers for holding said cord, means forturning said needle through substantially one revolution to wrap cordpulled from said supply about said fingers and an article to be wrapped,said needle being tiltable from its initial plane and shifting its axisof rotation and said turning means turning the same throughsubstantially a second revolution to feed cord from said supply underthe cord stretched between said two fingers during the ifirst revolutionof saidneedle and over the cord stretched between the article and one ofsaid fingers during the first revolution of said needle, said cordholder fingers being turnable to release said cord from said fingersthereby to release tension on said spring to permit the same to pullsaid cord tight about the article.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 443,639 12/90Wilkin 28916 1,603,801 10/26 Potter 2424 2,653,771 9/53 Turner 24242,699,902 1/55 Wirth 2424 FOREIGN PATENTS 382,384 10/23 Germany.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

ALDRICH F. MEDBERY, DONALD W. PARKER, Examiners,

1. A DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLYCIRCULAR NEEDLE, A CORD FEEDING MECHANISM CARRIED THEREBY, MEANS FORTURNING SAID NEEDLE THROUGH ONE ROTATIONAL PATH TO FORM A LOOP OF SAIDCORD, SAID FURTHER MEANS TURNING SAID NEEDLE THROUGH ANOTHER ROTATIONALPATH FOR COMPLETING A KNOT OF SAID CORD.